Redskins’ Coach Search Is Said to Include Fewell

The Washington Redskins have requested and received permission from the Giants to interview Perry Fewell for their vacant head coaching job, according to people aware of the conversations between the teams who were not authorized to speak publicly about the job search.

Fewell, 51, has been the Giants’ defensive coordinator since 2010 and led the team’s defense during the 2011 season, which culminated in a Super Bowl victory. He was under fire early this season as the Giants started 0-6, but the defense rallied by the end of the year, finishing the season ranked eighth in the N.F.L. in yards allowed. The defense also had a handicap, with the Giants’ offense and special teams committing a league-high 44 turnovers.

Fewell first worked with Giants Coach Tom Coughlin in 1998, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and has been employed by five N.F.L. teams. He was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator from 2006 through the 2009 season, serving as the Bills’ interim head coach for seven games in his last year with the team.

The Giants are expected on Thursday to begin having organizational meetings that could decide the future of several assistant coaches whose jobs may be in jeopardy, most notably their offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, and their special-teams coordinator, Tom Quinn.

Carolina Coach Ron Rivera said the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott, would interview for the Redskins position this week, The Associated Press reported.

2 TOP PROSPECTS TURNING PRO Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said Wednesday that they would forgo their senior seasons and enter the N.F.L. draft.

Clowney, a junior who is considered by many to be the most talented player in the draft class, finished his college career Wednesday in the Gamecocks’ 34-24 victory over Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl.

“Before we even put the pads on, I thought, We’ve only got 60 minutes, and it’s over with,” said Clowney, who had five tackles against the Badgers. “I’m going to be sad about it.”

Bridgewater, also a junior, had been coy about his future, even after leading the Cardinals to a 36-9 victory over Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Saturday. Late in the season, Louisville Coach Charlie Strong even suggested Bridgewater might return next year.

But Bridgewater, who is widely expected to be the first overall pick, announced Wednesday that he would leave, saying in a statement that his decision to enter the draft “was extremely difficult” and that attending Louisville “was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.”

“These past three years have allowed me to mature as a person and leave the university as a better person and with my degree in hand, which was one of my goals,” Bridgewater said in the statement. (AP)

O’BRIEN REPORTEDLY TAKES JOB Penn State Coach Bill O’Brien, who was an assistant with New England from 2007 to 2012, is set to return to the N.F.L., having reached an agreement to coach the Texans, according to multiple reports. He was expected to be introduced as Houston’s coach on Thursday. (AP)

CHIEFS’ BOWE RETURNING Kansas City wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who sustained a concussion in a loss to Indianapolis on Dec. 22, was cleared to play in the Chiefs’ playoff game against the Colts on Saturday.

The status of linebacker Tamba Hali and right tackle Eric Fisher, however, remained uncertain.

Fisher hurt a groin muscle near the end of Tuesday’s practice. Hali has been dealing with swelling in a knee. Neither of them participated fully in Wednesday’s workout. (AP)

PACKERS TICKETS AVAILABLE As of Wednesday afternoon, about 7,500 tickets were available for Green Bay’s home playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Packers said. The Green Bay Press-Gazette reported that, according to N.F.L. rules, the tickets had to be sold by 3:40 p.m. Thursday to avoid a local TV blackout. However, the league has given extensions for playoff games in previous years. (AP)

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B10 of the New York edition with the headline: Redskins’ Coach Search Is Said to Include Fewell. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe